Feisty Coyotes outmatch Flyers in OT

PHILADELPHIA - One Russian goalie had trouble with a bouncing puck while the other Russian goalie had a lot of fortuitous bounces.

If there was a difference in the entertaining 3-2 overtime loss for the Flyers to the red-hot Phoenix Coyotes Tuesday, that was it.

Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who made a few fine saves in the loss, couldn't corral a skidding puck shot by Taylor Pyatt that bounced on him at the last second and beelined off his pad and up into the top shelf of the net.

Meanwhile the other guy, Ilya Bryzgalov, was diving all over the ice trying to turn aside the 71 shots the Flyers took.

Only 39 were on goal as 16 were blocked, 10 more missed the net and six beat Bryzgalov but caught iron behind him.

Yet, despite all that activity right around the Phoenix net, only a crazy redirection by Ville Leino and a Herculean individual effort by Claude Giroux resulted in goals.

"I had a nervous feeling in the second period," coach Peter Laviolette said. "I felt it should have been 4-0 at that point and it was only 1-0. We had lots of looks and opportunities. The chances were doubled up in our favor and we couldn't break the one. We had to fight back. When you look at it you think you should win the game outright, at the end of the day you're lucky to get a point."

The Flyers were able to get the point by forcing overtime on Giroux's goal, in which he followed up his own shot while falling over a sliding defenseman and still beat Bryzgalov over the glove.

However, the Coyotes were the recipients of an overtime power play chance after a questionable hooking call on Kimmo Timonen.

"Who knows," Timonen said when asked if it was a good call. "I'll have to take a look at it again and see what happened. It's one of those things you can't control."

Phoenix captain Shane Doan scored on the power play, giving the Coyotes their eighth consecutive win and sending Laviolette into a tizzy about the officiating.

"I didn't like that (call) and a lot of others," Laviolette said. "We're preaching discipline in there. That's all we talk about. We'll kill the ones we have to, but the game's on the line, a point is on the line, there's really valuable things at this time of year ... I didn't like it. I didn't like the call. There's a lot of stick work going on but I didn't like the call."

This comes one game after Laviolette praised the officials for a well-called game Sunday in New York. Not coincidentally, the Flyers didn't take a penalty in that game and curiously, Paul Devorski was a referee in both games.

Of course, the Flyers also took issue with a hit by Scottie Upshall on Oskars Bartulis in the second period.

Upshall plowed through Bartulis, who hit the ice hard then slid into the boards harder, hurting his shoulder and missing the rest of the game.

Upshall was given a minor penalty - which was deserved. Laviolette wanted a major. General manager Paul Holmgren was dismayed with the play.

"Oskars was just standing there minding his own business," Holmgren said. "I have a little bit of a problem with it. It's not like Scottie to do that, but things happen."

Which is exactly how Upshall put it:

"It was just a routine play," he said. "I was going to the net hard. I didn't see the puck covered or hear a whistle. I didn't intentionally go to drive him let alone drive him into the boards. I hope he's all right but those plays happen a lot."

The game was a thrill ride of hockey at breakneck speed - which is indicative of the Coyotes' style. With everything being played a little faster, it was surprising to see Bobrovsky flub the save on Pyatt's shot. He was visibly mad about it, too, as he looked skyward in disbelief for a few seconds after allowing the goal.

It was the difference between one and two points in the standings.

"It (stinks)," Mike Richards said. "I don't know what else to say."

The good news for the Flyers (39-15-6, 84 points) is that they did stretch their lead over second-place Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Division to seven points with a game in hand. They also are hitting a point in their schedule where nine of the next 10 games are against teams who do not hold a playoff spot.

"We actually played a pretty good game," Giroux said. "We've just got to find a way to put the game away. It happens sometimes."